Cat meows loudly at night and other questions
I’ll respond to the question in the title and four others.
1. Why does my cat meow loudly twice at night? This is another typical question from a cat owner. The fact that a cat meows “twice” is irrelevant really. This is more about a cat meowing at night when people are asleep or trying to get to sleep.
A cat who meows at night is either calling for his human companion and/or is confused. The confusion may be due to dementia. Old cats tend to call at night. The sound is sometimes more a howl than a meow. Cats are liable to call at night because they can be active at night while humans habitually sleep at night.
What to do about it? Personally if I heard my cat howling at night I would get up and comfort her. But I am retired and it doesn’t matter if I don’t get a good night’s sleep. For people who have to go to work, getting up at 2 am most nights is not really practical.
If the reason is dementia in a cat there is very little one can do about it as far as I know. As I said, you can comfort her but you can’t cure her.
The response for the caretaker is tolerance, patience, love and the best care and attention that you can give. More attention will help.
2. Which cat breed will cause the least mess in my home? This is a question that is in the minds of houseproud people who would like to keep a cat. Cat hair deposited on furniture is a reason for some people to not keep a cat.
A hairless cat such as the Sphynx might be attractive to such a person. But if a houseproud person dislikes hairless cats what can she do?
The answer is probably not to adopt a cat at all. Or change your mentality towards keeping your home perfect all the time. There are quite a number of people who are overly house proud; almost obsessively so. It does not pay to be overly houseproud as you spend your life dusting 😉 What kind of life is that? Life can and should be about achieving things and living life to the fullest you can. You don’t get prizes for being a good duster and floor cleaner.
The answer is with the person not the cat as all cats will shed fur and dander. It makes little difference if a cat is long or short haired. They all shed fur and create dander and allergens. The best cat for shedding is perhaps the Devon Rex but this is anecdotal evidence and not based on hard science. This cat can also have some bald patches from time to time.
3. My 9 month old male unneutered cat screams the house down all the time. Help.
Additional information: This cat is timid and does not spray. He walks around the house all the time.
His behavior seems to be related to the fact that he is a whole (not neutered) cat. Neutering a male cat (removal of testicles) results in:
- a reduction in the cat’s sexual impulses;
- a reduction in a desire to roam;
- a reduction in aggressive behavior
- an increase in affectionate behavior
- less chance of being involved in a fight if he goes out and
- an elimination (almost?) of the desire to mark territory by urine spraying.
So, the answer would be to neuter your cat and see what happens.
4. Nine month old non-neutered male tries to bite me while making a “whining” sound. Help.
Once again my guess is that this is an activity linked to his sexual impulses. Other than that it is just play and a desire to play coupled with vocalizations. Cats make a range of sounds and the sort of sounds cats make depends to a large extent on the individual cat. Have him neutered and see how his behavior changes.
5. Is cat panting a sign of asthma?
Scenario: Three kittens who play a lot. One of them pants during and after play while the others don’t. Does the one who pants have asthma?
It is almost certainly normal panting after and during hard exercise. The little guy who pants is probably dong more work and being more active than the other kittens even though this might not be apparent. Panting is normal and it helps cool the cat. Cats sometimes pant when anxious or frightened too.
Asthma affects 1% of cats (1 in 100), so is rare. An asthma attack is accompanied by wheezing and coughing. That is not the case here. It can be triggered by airborne allergens and heartworm.
Conclusion: this kitten is panting normally.